Zharao was the leader of the small tribe that took the lead in opposing Xiao Ruxun's plan to relocate their base.
Ever since he was born, his tribe had been stationed in an area in the south near the coast. It was said that they had originally lived in the inland area. Later, they were chased here by Mang Yinglong and settled down here. At that time, their population had been reduced to only thirty to forty thousand. After decades of effort, their population was only seventy to eighty thousand. It was a relatively small tribe.
As the saying goes, one depends on the mountain and the water depends on the mountain. The other tribes did not have such a saying, but they knew how to do it. Since they were near the coast, they should rely on the sea to live. The sea was a treasure that could not be fully exploited. It was generous and rich, and would always give the tribe the food that they needed the most when they needed it the most, such as fish, shrimp, crabs, and other food that could fill their stomachs.
Therefore, even though the population was small and the arable land was small, this small tribe still lived well.
Later, Mang Yinglong unified Myanmar and began to expand outwards. Many of the tribesmen were forced to become his odd-job soldiers. Basically, those who went there would most likely die. Very few could return alive. Under the guidance of his father, who was the leader of the previous generation, Zharao also understood that this was the hateful part of Mang Yinglong's regime. They would cut off any tribe that was developing well and not allow them to grow to the point where they could threaten the regime.
However, this method of cutting off wool was considered mild at that time. With the success of Mang Yinglong, many Westerners appeared on this ancient land. Some of these people came from other places, and some came from the sea by ship. They brought some exquisite things that the tribesmen had never seen before to do business and exchange products. Among them were guns and cannons. In this way, the tribes near the coast became the first tribes outside of the central regime to communicate with the outside world.
Zara grew up in such an environment, so his understanding of the world was not superficial. On the contrary, he knew a little Portuguese and could make simple exchanges with Portuguese merchants.
The tribe developed very quickly. Mang Yinglong was probably old and softhearted. His methods were not as strong as before. About four years before Mang Yinglong passed away, it was the golden period for the development of the major tribes. It was also during this period that Zharao's tribe grew to a population of more than 100,000. It was once very prosperous.
Unfortunately, this short golden period ended with the death of Mang Yinglong. Mang Yinglong's successor, Mang Yingli, had made great contributions and had a high prestige. As soon as he ascended to the throne, he grasped the real power without any struggle. His methods were even crueler than Mang Yinglong's when he was at his peak. All the big tribes were subjected to a cruel shearing operation. The wealth and population accumulated in the four years of golden period were almost cut in one night.
Zara's father was also forced to become Mang Yingli's servant army with more than 3,000 male tribesmen. Since then, they had not seen each other for a year. A year later, the body of his father was brought back by more than 100 surviving tribesmen. From that day on, Zara officially became the leader of the tribe.
Perhaps it was out of some sense of guilt, or perhaps he did not want to force them too hard and cause the tribes to unite and rebel. After that, Mang Yingli treated Zara's tribe a little more gently. There was no sign of forcing Zara to become a servant army. However, once the seed of hatred was planted, it would not stop growing.
Through trading with the Portuguese merchants, Zara purchased guns, cannons, and all kinds of weapons in batches to arm his tribe. This was something Mang Yingli could not have imagined. During this period of time, Mang Yingli was engaged in the third and fourth battles with the Siamese Empire. He had no time to pay attention to the development of the small tribes. Therefore, the tribes in the coastal areas were developing well. They even developed firearms troops in addition to the central government.
It was also from this moment that Zharao realized the weakness of his tribe and the need to develop and become stronger. He also realized the importance of the sea route for the development of the tribe. With the sea, they could communicate with the outside world. They could have a steady flow of firearms, and they could continue to fight without fear of starvation. This was the advantage of being close to the sea. However, once they left the sea and cut off communication with the outside world, their development would stagnate. They would be unable to advance any further, and this was something that Zharao could not accept.
Therefore, when he heard Xiao Ruxun's idea to let all the coastal tribes move to the warm inland areas in the west, he realized the Ming government's idea. It was nothing more than easier to manage. However, for Zara, this was the only way to give up on the tribe's development. This was to make the tribe a fat sheep waiting to be slaughtered. He did not want to continue this. He had been bullied and oppressed, and he did not want to endure it again.
He rejected the request of the Ming Army's admiral and left with five or six like-minded coastal tribes. On the way, the six tribes formed an alliance and advanced and retreated together. If the Ming Army really dared to attack, they would resist together. They would not let the Ming Army have an easy time. They believed that the Ming Army had come from afar and was already very tired. They were weary of war and did not want to start another war. In order to establish a local image of benevolence and justice, the Ming government would not openly mobilize their troops for the time being.
They had enough time to prepare, defend, and even unite to force the Ming Army to compromise.
A powerful dragon cannot suppress a local snake. If all of us unite, do you really dare to go against all the local tribes? Everyone was related by marriage. If they attacked one, they would offend many. The Ming Army would not be so irrational.
After the six tribes returned, they reorganized their troops and prepared for war. They looked as though they were sworn to defend their homeland. For this, they even made mobilization speeches to incite the tribesmen to fight to the death. In the end, there was no news for six or seven days. The scouts that were sent to investigate said that the Ming Army was resting in the main camp and had not moved at all. As a result, the tribesmen's morale was deflated.
Zara himself felt that it was strange. Could it be that the Ming Army did not intend to fight at all? He had thrown the Ming Army's admiral's face in front of him. The Celestial Empire, which had always valued its face, had actually tolerated it?
With a puzzled mood, Zara let the tribesmen rest. He led the regular soldiers to keep watch in the tribe. After another three days, he discovered that there was still no movement from the Ming Army. He felt even more strange. However, he felt strange and lowered his vigilance. He ordered a portion of the warriors to return to the production area to harvest food. He led the rest of the people to continue to keep watch.
On the eleventh day, Zharao's father-in-law, the headman of an inland tribe, Na Ang, arrived at Zharao's tribe with some wine, meat, and a few attendants. Zharao naturally welcomed his father-in-law's arrival. However, after hearing the purpose of his father-in-law's visit, Zharao was somewhat astonished.
His father-in-law was here to be a lobbyist for the Ming Army.
"Admiral Xiao's side has already said that as long as you are willing to move, even if it means giving you more captives and silver, it can also be discussed. Admiral Xiao's side is not willing to start another war. After the war, Admiral Xiao is willing to rebuild this place and not destroy it. Zara, don't be too arrogant. Don't think that there is any benefit in joining forces and going against the Daming. Just look at Mang Yingli and you will understand."
Zara drank the wine that his father-in-law brought over and ate the meat that his father-in-law roasted personally. His expression was very calm.
"Let's not talk about the fact that we have lived here for decades. How much time and money will it take to move? How much time and money will it take to rebuild? After we finished building this place, we gave it to the Daming to use. They don't want to contribute, so they want us to move. How can there be such a good thing? "
"So, didn't they compensate us? Two thousand Burmese! Is this a small number? Why can't you see it? The Daming is the Celestial Empire, and the army is the Imperial Army. They are reasonable! "
Zara's father-in-law tried his best to persuade him.
"That's not the case! We can communicate with foreigners by the seaside. We can learn about many new things and new things. For example, these guns and cannons. If it wasn't for the fact that we can do business with foreigners by the seaside, how would we have the opportunity to obtain them? Now that he wants us to live in the mainland, won't we lose this channel? We will stop developing. When that time comes, we will still be bullied like before. It's just that the bullies will be the Ming Kingdom! "
Zara also tried his best to persuade his father-in-law not to be blinded by the benefits of a mere two thousand people.
Zara's father-in-law sighed repeatedly.
"Why can't you see the situation clearly? You can't resist the Daming and Admiral Xiao at all. They are far stronger than all of us. We can't even resist Mang Yingli, let alone the Daming who killed Mang Yingli. My child, wake up! Stop dreaming. We have fewer people and less land. We have to be patient and obedient. We can't resist openly! "
Zara couldn't agree with his father-in-law's cowardice.
"I definitely won't agree. I have five allies. In total, we have over twenty thousand soldiers and over five hundred thousand tribesmen. Our strength is definitely not as weak as Ming Kingdom thinks. If they attack us, we will show them our strength and our courage to defend our homeland!"
A trace of sorrow flashed in the father-in-law's eyes. He poured a cup of wine for Zara and himself and drank it in one gulp.
"You are putting yourself on fire. My child, don't continue to be stubborn!"
"I'm stubborn? You and my father have been good friends for many years. Do you still remember when my father died? Why did my father die? Why did a chief of a tribe, the leader of a hundred thousand people, die just like that? Why did it happen?!
From that day onwards! I swore! I will never walk the same path as my father! That's why I was the first to stand up against Mang Yingli. I was the first to stand up and unite everyone to not provide Mang Yingli with troops and rations. Reality has proven that I was right! That's why I had hope in Ming Kingdom and thought that he would treat us fairly. But what happened in the end? I helped a person as cunning and treacherous as Mang Yingli! I will never trust anyone again! Never! "
After saying that, Zara felt a little breathless. He took a few deep breaths, sat down, and drank the wine in one gulp.
"I was really blind to trust these big shots! No one will think for us. They will only think for themselves! Since that's the case, I can only think for myself! I have eighty thousand tribesmen who want me to think for them. Eighty thousand tribesmen! I will definitely not hand over the homeland that I have lived in for decades! Definitely not! "
Zara took a few deep breaths and tore off his leather armor. He felt a little hot and stuffy.
"Zara, you are the son of my best friend. I have always thought highly of you and recognized your abilities. That's why I married my only daughter to you. I am indebted to your father for that incident. That's why I have been taking care of you ever since he passed away. I thought that you could see things clearly and that you were not a rash person. But now, I realize that you are no different from those rash people."
Zara's father-in-law stopped trying to persuade Zara. He seemed to be disappointed in Zara.
"I really didn't mean it that way. I was really thinking for all of us!"
"No, you didn't. You were only thinking for yourself. You didn't even think about how Daming would treat your tribesmen and me if you really angered Daming. You are my son-in-law. If you were to start a war with Daming, how would Daming view me and my tribesmen? Zara, you are too selfish! "
"I … How am I … selfish?"
Zara took a few deep breaths and stood up. He asked his father-in-law in disbelief, "Don't you understand me? I am really doing this for everyone! "
As he said this, Zara gradually felt that his breathing was a little labored. His head was also a little dizzy.
"If Daming wants to destroy us, it will be too easy. Even the 100,000 elites in the Mang Ying have been destroyed, let alone the few of us. Not to mention that most people have already sided with the Great Ming Dynasty. There won't be many people who will support us. This resistance is meaningless in itself. It might even incur the wrath of the Great Ming Dynasty's Emperor, which will affect all of us. All these years, we have our own relationships, and we can't get rid of them. "
Zara did not understand.
"Then let's unite and fight together! If this goes on, we won't have a way out! "
Zara's father-in-law shook his head.
"No, fighting is the way out. We cannot be compared to Daming. Before we can find the way out that you mentioned, we will be destroyed by the Ming Army. If we don't even have our lives, how can we talk about a way out? Zara, do you know that you almost caused the deaths of all of us? "
Zara hurriedly shook his head. He wanted to step forward and argue with his father-in-law, but his legs gave way and he fell to the ground. Just as he wanted to get up, he was shocked to find that he could not muster any strength. His chest was getting tighter and his head was hurting more and more.
"I … What happened … I …"
His father-in-law lowered his head and looked at Zara, who was trembling on the ground. His face was expressionless.
"Zara, you foolish child. You are far inferior to your father. Your father would rather sacrifice himself to let you live, but you have to sacrifice everyone to let you realize your so-called dream. Do you still not understand? You are a weakling, I am a weakling, we are all weaklings. How can the weak seek survival in front of the strong? Do you still not understand? The strong have already given us a way to live, but you are actively seeking death … "
He raised his head and drank the last cup of wine. Zara had already stopped trembling and was no longer breathing.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
